The No. 19 Michigan football team has allowed just 22 points in two games. Opponents have notched 551 offensive yards, yet still struggled to seal the deal in the red zone. The Wolverines’ defense shut offenses down; but it didn’t necessarily do it alone.
Four of Western Michigan and No. 24 Oklahoma’s combined 22 drives began within its own 10-yard line, in large part due to sophomore punter Cam Brown. Against the Sooners, Brown sent punts into their own 20-yard line seven times, giving the Wolverines’ defense space to do what it does best.
“We’ve got a pretty good weapon in Cam Brown punting the football,” Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday. “He pinned (Oklahoma) inside the 20-yard line, like five of six punts or six of seven. It was really an outstanding day for Cam.”
Brown joins the Wolverines after spending last season at UNLV, where he ended the season as the nation’s 51st-best punter by net average punt yards. The Australian native punted 22 times for 943 yards, averaging 42.9 yards per punt. This contrasts Michigan’s 2025 punt performance where its starting punter, now-graduate Hudson Hollenbeck, notched just 11 50-plus yard punts throughout the season.
Making his debut with the Wolverines against the Broncos, Brown punted six times with a long of 50 yards while knocking two inside the 20-yard line. This contributed to Western Michigan dredging down the field for its 71-yard, 13-plus minute drive. Against the Sooners, Brown pinned the Oklahoma offense on its own 1-yard line which Michigan’s defense turned into a quick three-and-out. With over three-quarters of the field to still make up, the Sooners’ offense struggled to gain any momentum.
Brown’s technical ability gave the defense the best starting point it could ask for — and most of the time it followed up with defensive success of its own.
“You pin an opponent on the 1, 2, 3-yard line, their chances of getting points are very slim, so that’s a big deal,” Whittingham said. “And Cam has a real knack for putting that ball there and having that backspin on it and put it right there inside the five, which is a very valuable weapon. Also he did a great job on the last punt, where they came with an almost max blitz. He got it out really quick and avoided any opportunity they had to block it. He’s a very heads up punter.”
Special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs has taken advantage of Brown’s savvyness in more ways than one this season. On the field, Coombs trusts Brown to do his assignment and put the ball where the defense needs it. Brown’s skills allow Coombs to get creative and give him a range of options in setting up punt formations.
Brown’s abilities are honed before he steps on the field. The intellectual-punter meets with Coombs prior to stepping on the field as the two collaborate on the best protection for the given situation. Ultimately, wherever Brown is going to have the most success is what’s best for Michigan and Coombs does his best to set the sophomore up for success.
“Every time before we take the field, Cam and I talk about which punt we want to use in this particular spot and why, and so he has a good understanding of where we’re trying to put it and what we want to do, and he has good input on that,” Coombs said Wednesday. “He tells me what he’s feeling, which I think is important too.”
According to Coombs and Brown though, Saturday’s performance can still be improved upon. There were a few instances where his boot was too intense and the Wolverines’ gunners got to the ball just in time to prevent it from bouncing into the endzone. Coombs shared that he and Brown’s goal is to get the ball to fall on the 7 or 8-yard line and give the special teams coverage unit a bit more wiggle room.
Those alterations though are slight in comparison to the major punt-struggles Michigan dealt with only a year prior. Coombs is confident that as he and Brown continue to work together, Brown’s skills will only continue to perfect as the season progresses.
